In Baramati, ‘silent march’ around artiste couple arrested for ‘Maoist’ links

About 200 activists from various Dalit and social organisations in Baramati took out a “silent march” on Thursday in support of Sachin Mali and Sheetal Sathe, an artiste-couple of the Pune-based cultural group Kabir Kala Manch (KKM), who were arrested by the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for their alleged links with the banned Communist Party […]

About 200 activists from various Dalit and social organisations in Baramati took out a “silent march” on Thursday in support of Sachin Mali and Sheetal Sathe, an artiste-couple of the Pune-based cultural group Kabir Kala Manch (KKM), who were arrested by the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for their alleged links with the banned Communist Party of India (CPI-Maoists).

Activists, gathered under the banner “Shahir Sachin Mali Muktata Kruti Samiti, Baramati”, demanded the release of Sachin, now in Arthur Road prison. Sheetal is out on bail and seeking support through “Shahiri jalsa”, a music programme, with social and revolutionary songs and poetry. The morcha started from the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Smarak and concluded at the new administrative building in the presence of retired High Court Justice B G Kolse Patil.

In his speech, Kolse Patil appealed to the activists to prepare for “jail bharo” agitation, demanding the release of Sachin. “Sachin and Sheetal have been falsely arrested. It is a conspiracy to brand Dalit artistes as Naxals,” he said.

Chandan Haygunde

Chandan Haygunde is an assistant editor with The Indian Express with 15 + years of experience in covering issues related to Crime, Courts, National Security and Human Rights. He has been associated with The Indian Express since 2007. Chandan has done investigative reporting on incidents of terrorism, left wing extremism, espionage cases, wildlife crimes, narcotics racket, cyber crimes and sensational murder cases in Pune and other parts of Maharashtra. While working on the ‘Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Fellowship on Tigers, Tiger Habitats and Conservation’ in 2012, he reported extensively on the illegal activities in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. He has done in-depth reporting on the cases related to the Koregaon Bhima violence in Pune and hearings of the ‘Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry’. ... Read More

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